The Academy of the Arts at Ba Sing Se
by prettylittleravenclaw
Summary: Set in Avatar world with modern technology/lifestyle. All benders from the show can still bend. Summary inside. Zutara, Taang, Suki/Sokka/Ty Lee. Changed the rating for more flexibility. New chapters will come as my free time permits :
1. Job Hunting

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender in any way, shape or form!

Summary: Set in the modern version of the Avatar world; in other words, their worlds and bending, but with our technology/lifestyle. Yes, this means no Appa. In this story, the war never happened, so I had to change a few things. I changed the history of Katara and Sokka's mom; she was murdered (stabbed once in the side and once in the heart) by a Fire Nation psychopath, and Katara witnessed her murder. Hakoda is in the military. Oh, and Aang has no romantic feelings for Katara, and he isn't the Avatar, but he is a powerful Airbender. I chose to make him just a best friend to Katara who is like a little brother to her. Toph is pretty much the same personality-wise, but she still lives with her parents, and I moved her family's estate to Ba Sing Se for convenience purposes, since they will all be visiting each other quite a bit. This is a Zutara story (mostly), with a subplot of Taang and maybe Ty Lee/Sokka. I'm not sure where this is going yet but hopefully this first chapter sets things up well enough. I like to build things slowly so that you get a feel for the characters, so I'm pretty sure that I won't have any huge Zutara action just yet. But be patient! :) The story will be told from almost everyone's point of view, and it starts with Katara's.

This is my first fanfic. Comments/suggestions are very much appreciated :)

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**Katara's POV**

_Dear Miss Mizu,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the Academy of the Arts at Ba Sing Se on a full scholarship. This school is tailored for only the most talented and gifted of benders and warriors, and we are confident that you will not disappoint. The term starts this September 1. We look forward to meeting you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email, letter, or phone._

_Sincerely,_

_Master Lao Shi,_

_Ba Sing Se Academy of the Arts _

_Director of Admissions_

"Gran-gran!" I jumped up and down excitedly. "I got in, I got in!"

"So did I, little sister!" Sokka chimed in. Sokka always needed to say something.

I couldn't believe it; this was a dream come true. It was every bender or warrior's dream to attend the Ba Sing Se Academy of the Arts. Those who went there would be taught by only the best instructors in the nation. With its prestige came great expenses, and both my brother and I got accepted on full scholarships.

"I am very proud of both of you," Gran-Gran smiled, teary-eyed, at both of us, putting her hands on our shoulders. "I could not ask for more talented, loving, wonderful grandchildren." She kissed each of us individually on the cheek. "Your mother and father would be very proud of you."

My mother died at the hands of a Fire Nation assassin when I was eight, and my father was away training for the military. Sokka and I were forced to grow up quickly, always relying on and protecting one another. Gran-Gran was getting old too, so we had to take care of her as well as ourselves. It was because of this that I didn't have very many friends.

My only friends were Aang and Toph, and I wasn't sure if they got in either. The school was for ages 11-18, and although they were twelve, it was rare that anyone younger than fourteen got in, and if they did, they took care to separate the eleven to thirteen year olds from the older ones. Aang was the most talented airbender I have ever met; he is very dear to me, like the little brother I never had, and Toph – despite her blindness – is the most powerful Earthbender of my generation. She does this thing where she can feel vibrations all around her as long as her feet are on the ground, so nobody can sneak up on her. She's also a living lie detector, so I can't ever lie to her.

Sokka placed a hand on my shoulder. "Look, I know you haven't really had a lot of friends besides us, but I am sure there are some good people there," he assured me. "And lots of food," he added. Food, food, food. That's all he thinks about! "This should be great!"

"Sokka, can you talk about something else other than food?" I said, slightly frustrated. "What if they don't like us? I mean, we're from the Southern Water Tribe." The only people that outright hate us are the Fire Nation because they think we're poor and helpless and can't do anything for ourselves. It doesn't help that we've been tight on money for practically my entire life, until recently when we were able to sell our hut in the South Pole and make enough to move to our two-story condo here in Ba Sing Se. The cost of living was also higher than it was in the South Pole, so naturally, Sokka and I needed jobs to help Gran-Gran. Sokka already managed to find one at a diner a couple blocks down (of course he would choose something that involved food). I have yet to find one myself.

"Who cares?" he shrugged. "They accepted us for a reason. Give it a chance. Meanwhile, you should look for a job. Aang and Toph will go with you if you like."

"Thanks, Sokka," I smiled. "Maybe I'll see them while I'm looking around."

First, I tried The Fiery Dragon, which was a fast food restaurant that was almost always full. All the waiters were constantly busy, helping up to four different customers at once. The hostess greeted me with a smile. "How many in your party, miss?"

"Oh, I'm not looking to eat right now," I said politely. "I was wondering if I could speak to the manager."

"He is not in," she replied. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Well yes, actually there is," I nodded. "Is your restaurant hiring, by any chance?"

"I am sorry, we do not hire children," she shook her head. "You must be eighteen to work here."

"Thank you, anyway," I nodded, walking out.

Next, I tried a fashion store, fruit stand, the amusement park, and another diner. They all said I was too young. I guess they have no use for a fourteen-year-old. There was one place I hadn't ever been to: Iroh's Tea & Coffee. I walked in and peered at the ambience. There were paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, evenly spaced apart. The walls were various shades of green, with a bit of gold glittering here and there. Dark brown high tables and chairs lined the customer queue, with some square dark brown tables and chairs along the walls for people who wanted to use their laptops. The menu was right under the cash register for customers' convenience. There was a decent amount of people, and they all seemed to be really happy with their drinks. There were only two people working (or that I saw working): a short man in his fifties and a boy with a huge scar over nearly half the left side of his face that got darker as it got closer to his eye. The short man had an effervescent, jovial air about him, while the boy was very sullen and kept to himself a lot. He didn't seem like a people person. I must admit though, those golden eyes were to die for.

The short man came to greet me. "How may I help you today?"

"Hi, my name is Katara," I held out my hand for him to shake. "I was wondering if your restaurant is hiring."

The man smiled. "Why don't you have a little something to drink first?"

"No thank you, I don't have money with me right now," I said apologetically.

"It's on the house," he assured me. "Have anything you like."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!" He had a huge smile on his face.

"Um, okay, what do you recommend?"

"Well, I'm an old soul and have a more…classic taste, but for you," he paused to think, "I would recommend the caramel-hazelnut blended iced coffee. Most people your age tend to like it. Would you like it with soy milk or regular milk?"

"Soy, please," I requested.

"Sensitive stomach, eh?"

I nodded. "Unfortunately."

"Well at least you're being nice to your stomach," he laughed good-naturedly. "My nephew will bring you your drink in just a moment."

"Your nephew?" I lit up, eager to meet a new friend.

"Yes," the man's eyes twinkled. He turned towards the counter. "Zuko! The lady is waiting on her drink!" He winked. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, Uncle, I _heard_ you!" I heard him yell back impatiently, as he put the lid on my drink. He had a pretty harsh tone to his voice.

"Oh, Zuko," he smiled, shaking his head. "You're not making a good first impression."

"I don't-" I assumed he was about to say "care" before he stopped mid-sentence to look at me. The way he looked at me was as if he had never looked at a girl before; it was as if he were in a trance. His one eyebrow (or the one that I could see, anyway) raised slightly in curiosity like he was studying me. Finally, he snapped out of it and hastily placed the drink in front of me.

"Thank you, Zuko," I smiled brightly. He merely nodded before walking away. I saw his uncle push him back towards me until he was at my table.

"That is not how we treat our guests, Zuko," he waved an index finger in his face, half-joking, half-berating, before he left to attend to the customers that were getting impatient at the cash register.

I tried to hide my laughter.

"Go ahead, laugh at me," he said in that same harsh tone. "I think that was Uncle's intention."

"You know," I said, "if you don't want to talk to me, that's okay. I have to get home, anyway. My grandma doesn't like it when I come home too late." I stood up to go. "The drink's really good, by the way. Tell your uncle I said thank you."

As I about to leave, Zuko grabbed my shoulder. "Wait." I turned. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," I answered him. "Why do you ask?"

"It's for my uncle," he said. "He'd want to know that you were pleased with your drink."

I smiled. "Well in that case, it's Katara."

He nodded, and walked off without saying good-bye. My verdict was correct: definitely not a people person.

I felt my cell phone vibrating in my pocket. Gran-Gran. "Hi, Gran-Gran."

"How is the job hunting coming along?" I could hear the smile in her voice. She was always so cheerful and positive, and didn't let our financial situation get her down. I wish I could be more like that.

"I'm not sure," I said. "I'll tell you more when I get home."

"Hurry up, Dear," she said. "Your friends are waiting for you, and the dinner's getting cold."

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I decided to make Katara's last name a Japanese word that means "water", and Aang's last name will be Jinsei.


	2. Party?

This next chapter will be from Toph's point of view. I have a lot of similarities to her, and she is my favorite female Avatar character, so I had a lot of fun writing this. Enjoy :)  
Oh, and...**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

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What the _hell_ is taking Sugar Queen so long? I mean, how long does it take to get from that coffee and tea shop to her stupid condo here? I punched Twinkle Toes in the forearm.

"Toph!" he exclaimed. "What was that for?"

"Call Sugar Queen and tell her to hurry up," I said, tapping my foot impatiently. If I were on solid ground, my tapping would be creating little rock rumbles by now.

"Her Gran-Gran just did that, though," he was uncertain. "Why don't you do it?"

"Great idea," I said sarcastically. "Let the blind girl do it."

He sighed, taking out his phone. "Fine." Man, I loved messing with him like that. It was just too much fun!

I heard Katara's voice on the other line. "Hi, Aang, what's up?"

"Hey Katara," he said in his usual, cheerful tone. "Toph told me to tell you to hurry up." I punched him again, harder this time, and I was definitely not showing affection. Could he have been more _stupid_ than that? "Toph!"

"You idiot, you weren't supposed to tell her that _I _told you!" I yelled, not caring if Katara could hear me.

"But you _did _tell me…" he answered back innocently, obviously not understanding his own stupidity.

"Ugh, forget it, give me the phone." I grabbed the phone from his hand. "Hurry up, Sugar Queen! We're all hungry here, and the food's getting cold! We don't have any firebenders to heat it up, so get your butt over here, will you?"

"Jeeze, Toph, please be a little more patient," she said, trying to calm me down. "I'm two houses down. I'll be there in a minute."

I ran out the door to make sure she was telling the truth; I was useless while standing on the carpet of their living room.

Sure enough, I sensed her walking, but I don't know that I'd call her movement walking. It was more like prancing, like she just met a boy she liked or something. "_There_ you are," I bounced over to her and gave her a warm hug. "We've been waiting. Your grandma cooked spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread and salad tonight."

"Yes, Toph, you made that quite clear over the phone," she laughed a little. "And I'm hungry too. Let's eat, shall we?"

"Duh!" I grabbed her wrist and dragged her into her own condo. "She's here!" I called, and Sokka and Aang came down the stairs.

"Yes! Now I can eat! Whooooooo!" I felt Sokka running to the dinner table, where their grandma had arranged the food like a buffet.

"Great, not even a 'hello' from my own brother," she said, and I felt her cross her arms. Judging from her heartbeat, she was kinda pissed.

"Sorry Katara," he apologized. "You know how I get about food, especially when there's meat." He emphasized the word "meat", and I can only imagine him drooling like a puppy at the sight of it.

"It's fine," she sighed. "I'm hungry too."

Man, Sokka eats like a pig! I was barely halfway through my first serving, and he was already on his third…possibly more. Then again, he exercises enough so he can eat as much as he liked. I felt Aang giving all of us his meatballs; he's a vegetarian. I can't understand why. It's good protein. He'd much rather eat tofu. To me, that stuff's nasty. It doesn't taste like anything! Well, that's Aang for you; he likes things plain and simple.

"Are you sure you don't want your meatballs, Twinkle Toes?" I asked him. "They're really good. And you know I don't lie."

"Yes, I'm sure they are," he agreed. "But I don't like the idea of eating animals. Their lives are just as sacred as human beings'."

"Fine," I sighed. "You're missing out, though." I decided to change the subject, since everyone was eating pretty much in silence. "So," I said loudly, breaking the awkward silence, "did you guys get into the Academy?" I was referring to the Academy of the Arts at Ba Sing Se, but they knew that. At least, I hope they did.

"Oh yeah, you guys never told us if you got in or not," Aang chimed in. "I did, and so did Toph."

"Yup, we totally did," Sokka was the first to answer. "And check out our acceptance letters. They are _legit_!" I felt him wave two papers in my face.

"That's great!" I smiled. I turned to Sokka. "And you of all people should know by now to not expect me to read that." I pointed to my eyes. Gah, these people that I call my friends can be so forgetful.

"Well, you'd be able to tell if I was lying anyway," he pointed out.

"True," I said. "Well, I got in, too. Twinkle Toes and I are the first people under fourteen to get in."

"I'm so proud of you guys," Katara smiled. I couldn't see it, obviously, but I could tell by the way she talked.

"You should be," I said, "because we are going to kick ass over there. I just know it." I'm so happy that my parents are letting me go. I don't care if they're having a crap load of guards on me every second I'm there, because I can just order them around and make them not tell my parents. I'm just glad they're letting me go, and I'm glad to be going with my best friends.

"Yes we are," Sugar Queen laughed. She looked at the clock. "Toph, it's almost 10, shouldn't you be getting home now?"

"Nah," I shook my head. "I can call the guards whenever. Trust me, it's no biggie."

"Are you sure? I know I wasn't allowed out this late at your age."

"In case you haven't noticed, Sugar Queen," my temper was rising, "I'm not one to follow _rules_. I'm staying as long as I want, and if you want to kick me out, you'll have to make me."

"She's right, Katara," her grandma came in. I love her grandma. She barely knows me, but she understands me better than my own parents do. "If she wants to stay, then let her."

Katara didn't say anything. She can be too mature at times, although I do appreciate it in the end. But I think she needs to loosen up and have some fun, and I knew just the thing to do it.

"So Sugar Queen," I decided to make up for my tone with her earlier, "what do you saw to a party at my place tomorrow night before school starts?"

"Um, will there be supervision?"

"Of course," I said. "There will be guards."

"I meant your parents, Toph."

"Oh," I chuckled slightly. "Well they're hosting their own party at some fancy hotel tomorrow for a bunch of rich, snobby people, so they'll be out. But the guards do anything I tell them. We'll be fine."

"Gran-Gran, is that okay?"

"Those guards are like police, honey," her grandma answered. "You guys will be fine."

"Come on, Katara," Aang persisted. "It'll be fun. Toph has a really nice place. It's amazing. It's got a pool, tennis court, and everything. Oh, and she's got a forty-five inch plasma TV!"

I stepped on his foot. That's two today. Twinkle Toes can be such a dumbass, even if he was raised by monks, who are supposed to have infinite wisdom. I may be from one of the richest families in Ba Sing Se, but I never made a big deal out of it. When I was younger, my parents would insist I be escorted everywhere in a limousine. I really don't need it, although I guess it's useful whenever I go out with friends, which was never, since my parents are way too protective of me. They think that just because I am blind, I can't do anything, which is _so not true_.

I felt her heart begin to beat, and she was nervous. "I…I'm not sure."

"Sorry about Twinkle Toes," I said, and I threw him an angry look. "You really should come though. I promise it'll be fun."

"Sokka," I turned to him. "You in?"

"Will there be food?"

"Um, duh. What kind of question was _that_?"

"Then hell yeah, I'm in!" he jumped up and down.

"See, Katara?" I turned back to her, calling her by her real name so that she'd take me a little more seriously. "You don't want to miss out."

"I guess so," she finally agreed.

I punched her in the arm. "You're the best, Sugar Queen!"

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Sorry, no Zutara action yet! Or romance, for that matter. Like I said, I'm still developing everyone.  
Comments/suggestions? I'm not too good at writing funny lines, and I did the best I could with Sokka, so sorry if it's not as funny!  
So, any guesses on whose POV (point of view) the next chapter will be? :)


	3. Hired

So...this chapter was hard to write. Sorry it's slightly shorter than the other two. It was hard writing from Zuko's point of view without the Zutara stuff yet, and I left this as a slight cliffhanger on purpose. Since the story is modern, I adjusted his conflict in some ways to make it more relatable. What do you think will happen next? :) And of course...I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender!

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And now another boring day comes to a close. I was closing shop for my Uncle Iroh for the 5th time this week. Not that I minded; it was better than being ordered around by Azula or the Fire Lord (I refuse to call this man my father) at the palace. I know that you're supposed to love your family, but Azula needs some serious help. I mean, what normal person would enjoy torturing people and making them fear her? I shook my head. The Fire Lord kicked me out of the palace and sent me to live with Uncle here in Ba Sing Se when I was thirteen for speaking my mind, standing up for what I believe in, and refusing to fight him in an Agni Kai. The funny thing is, he was the one who taught me that ever since I was little. For awhile, I longed to go back, but banishing me from the palace like that was probably the best thing he's done for me. It opened my eyes to the world beyond the Fire Nation Capital. Mind you, it took some getting used to – a _lot _of getting used to, since I had absolutely no servants – but after a few months, I found it wasn't so bad. It taught me that it isn't one's social class that determines what kind of person they are. It's how they are as individuals. Even so, I didn't have very many friends because I didn't get to leave the palace much as a kid. There were a few cool people I met at the Academy, but I was never be sure if they liked me for who I am, or because I was the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, so I gradually drifted from them.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Uncle sent me a text. "Hurry up, it's getting late," it said. "Remember you agreed to play Pai Sho with me tonight." I groaned. I really hate that game, but I'd feel bad saying no to Uncle, after all he's done for me. He's been more of a father to me than the Fire Lord ever was. He accepts me for who I am and never makes me feel like I'm not good enough for him. But he _has_ been pushing me to become more social…especially with the opposite sex, which I don't appreciate very much, even if he means well. I'd rather meet someone on my own time than have Uncle hook me up with someone. I am perfectly capable of finding someone on my own time, and fighting for whoever that girl may be if necessary. Although I must admit, that one girl, Katara, who came into the shop today stuck in my mind. I'm not going to judge her right off the bat, but she seemed like she had a nice demeanor about her; she didn't make any signs of knowing she was under the presence of a Fire Nation prince, and I liked that. I've noticed that a lot of people change who they are when they're with someone like me, and they tend to be fake. That's also why when I meet someone, I've never told them about my royalty unless it came up; so that they can see that I'm a normal person just like them and I don't see myself as better than any of them, because I'm not.

"So, Zuko," Uncle Iroh said casually as he whipped out his lotus tile. "What did you think of her?"

"Who?" I had a feeling about who he was talking about, but so many girls come into the shop so then again, I had no idea who he was referring to.

"The girl who was looking for a job," he laughed. "Don't play dumb with me. I can see right through you."

"Oh." So he _was _referring to Katara. "She seemed nice."

"Do you like her?"

"Uncle!" I threw my hands in the air. "Why do you assume I like every girl I see?"

"You have to admit, she is a very beautiful girl," Ugh, he was ignoring me. Typical Uncle Iroh when he wants to say something like this. "Did you see those eyes of hers? If I were your age, I would…"

"Uncle, stop! That's disgusting!" I yelled. I realized I might have offended him, so I toned down. "Look, I know that you're just looking out for me, but I really want to find a girl on my own."

"She's hired," was his reply.

"W-w-what?" my good eye widened in disbelief. I had nothing against Katara, but _really_, Uncle? After what I just told him?

"I thought you'd be happy, but I guess not," he shrugged. "Maybe I should just tell her…"

"No!" I suddenly protested. I hated how Uncle put me on the spot like that, but I'd feel bad for her if Uncle told her no. She looked like she really wanted it. Plus, we could use more help. "Fine," I consented. "But she works in the front."

"For now." Oh no, there goes that twinkle in his eye. I knew he was up to something. "Tsk, tsk, Zuko," he shook his head, "I win again, for the twentieth time in a row!" A huge smile spread across his face. "But really, you need to brush up on your Pai Sho skills. I thought you were improving."

"I think I'm going to bed early tonight," I suddenly got up. Midnight was early for me; I was usually in bed at around 3.

"Suit yourself," Uncle said. "Wouldn't you like some tea beforehand?"

"Maybe in the morning. Good night, Uncle."

I wasn't actually planning on going to bed. I needed time to think about what Uncle told me about Katara. I suppose it wouldn't be so bad working with her, although I haven't really worked with anyone…ever. All my Firebending classes before the Academy were private, although Azula would occasionally train with me, which I absolutely hated because she would just use it as an opportunity to show that she's better than me without actually having to try. I've had to work hard to be where I am in terms of Firebending, but that's okay, because I'd rather work really hard to get something than have it easy all the time.

Wow, I ramble a lot, don't I? You've probably noticed a lot of this goes on in my head. I think a lot; my Uncle tells me I either over think things, or don't think enough. But back to Katara, a part of me told me to give her a chance and open up a little. She didn't seem like a judgmental person, and she definitely made no indication of having heard of me, either. But by declaring her judgmental, that's making a judgement, isn't it? Gah, now you see how I think too much. If I keep this up, I could easily go as insane as Azula. Actually, I take that back, I don't think anyone could go as insane as her. Not even me, who came from the same fucked-up family. I honestly think that my uncle, mother and I were the only sane ones in the royal family.

I sighed. I think I will give Katara a chance. Who knows? Maybe she'll understand me, and maybe I'll see her at the Academy in a couple days, although judging from her (I must admit) nice tan, she looked like a waterbender, and we haven't had a female waterbender at the Academy for ten years. I remember sparring with some of the guy waterbenders, and they weren't that great. I remember taking down all five of the guys during a sparring class in less than two hits. If she is indeed a waterbender, I hope she's a worthy sparring opponent.

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Comments/suggestions?


	4. The 3 Bestfriends that Katara Could Have

Warning: If you are under fourteen, please exercise caution while reading this, unless you have been exposed to raunchy, hilariously crude comedies. I would be more specific but I don't want to spoil anything up ahead. I tried to make this chapter a mixture of comic relief and transformation for Katara. This is written kinda differently than the other 3 chapters, but I think this really reveals a lot about every character's personality. Enjoy :) Again...**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**!

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I still wasn't sure if I wanted to go to Toph's party. I mean, I love her and all, but I wasn't sure if I could take being amidst her huge house and all the stuff she has…her TV, tennis court, swimming pool…? Sokka was at my side immediately, as though he had sensed my doubts. "Katara, you're worrying too much," he said. "You need to take a break from being our honorary mother and come to Toph's place with me and have _fun _for once! And have some good food."

"Sokka, will you shut the hell up about food?" I yelled. "Can't you be serious for once? You're trying to tell me you won't feel the least bit uncomfortable in a place where you know we can't afford half the stuff she has?"

"No," he said firmly with a serious tone that I had never heard him use before. "You know that Toph does not give a damn about how rich she is or whatever. Did you not see how pissed she was when _Aang_ told us about her place? If you truly knew Toph, you would be able to tell if she cared about that or not. Haven't you thought that maybe it was her parents who invested in all that stuff and not her? If there's anyone you should blame for spoiling your view of this whole thing, it's Aang."

Wow, I never thought about it like that before. I have to hand it to Sokka, he may not act it, but he's pretty perceptive. "I never thought I'd say this, Sokka," I finally thought out loud, "but you're right. I guess it's just that I know that if I were as rich as she is, I'd want all that stuff too, and I'd probably be proud about it. That's all. But I'll definitely come. Where exactly does she live?"

"I dunno, Aang's going to call or text us when they're on their way," he shrugged.

"Wait a second," I stopped him. "When _they're_ on their way?"

"Yeah, him and Toph," he said, not making a big deal out of it. "Don't tell me you have a problem with that, too?"

"No," I shook my head. Really, I didn't.

"Oh, what do you know, it's Aang," Sokka pulled out his phone from his pocket. "'Sup, Aang? Uh-huh. WHAT? NO WAY! Okay, we'll be right out." He hung up. "Guess _what_?"

I just stared at him.

"We're riding a limo," he squealed like a little girl. "A LIMO! How fucking _cool_ is that?"

"Okay, Sokka, can we go now?"

"So _now_ you're enthusiastic," he said, and led me out the door. "Ladies first."

"Hey, guys!" Aang greeted us as he opened the car door. "Toph's waiting for us at her house. She said she wanted to make sure everything was ready before you guys came, so she sent me in her limo to get you guys, since I know where you guys live. Come on in!" He took another look at us before continuing. "Oh, you might want to bring swimsuits. We're having a Jacuzzi session out in the back."

"Right on it, mister!" Sokka ran back into our condo to get our stuff.

"You excited, Katara?" Aang looked up at me with those big grey puppy eyes of his.

"I wasn't at first, but now, I can't wait," I smiled.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," he said. "Toph was really pissed at me for that, too."

"I could tell," I admitted. "And it's okay. I'm going to forget what happened and just have fun before we start school tomorrow."

"That's the spirit," he punched me in the forearm, similar to the way Toph did, but his punch wasn't quite as strong. It looks like he's picking up some of her habits. "We're also having a movie night afterwards, so you guys should plan for that, too."

"What movies?" I asked.

"I dunno, Toph's choosing them," he shrugged.

"Toph?" I was confused. "But she can't…"

"Don't ask how."

"All set," Sokka climbed into the limo with a black duffel bag in his lap. "Off we go!"

"Back to the Bei Fong estate, please," Aang called up to the driver, who waved his hand to signal that he got the message.

So Toph lived out in the valley, about fifteen minutes away from the city. That makes sense, because it'd be difficult to manage such a huge amount of land amidst a busy city like Ba Sing Se.

"We're here!" Aang's voice merrily chimed, and he was the first one out. "Toph, they're here!" he called out. He turned towards the limo. "Thanks, Chan, I'll call or text you when it's time to take them back." I presumed Chan was the driver.

I struggled to keep up with Aang and Sokka as they were practically sprinting towards her house up the one hundred meter path. Screw them for being able to airbend or for having long legs.

"Geeze, guys, any faster and you would've crashed through this door," Toph opened the door just in time for them to stumble right through the front. She was wearing a white tankini and boy short bottoms. "The Jacuzzi's out this way; follow me."

Her backyard must have been the size of an arena! Aang wasn't exaggerating; there was a tennis court, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and a decent sized grass lawn for her to practice her Earthbending, I presumed. "Toph, I thought you can't swim," I suddenly said.

"I can't," she agreed. "But I can go in the Jacuzzi; since it's made of stone, I can still sense the vibrations around me. I can also dip my feet in the pool since my butt will be on the ground and I can feel the vibrations through there. The food will be ready in a minute; are you guys okay with eating while we're in the Jacuzzi? Just try not to get any food in the water; my parents will be pissed."

"Toph, thanks for doing this and all," I said, "but are you sure your parents would allow you to do this?"

"Sugar Queen, can you just stop fretting about that?" she said, her eyebrows furrowing. "You're spoiling the mood here. Plus, that's for _me_ to deal with, not you. Stop making everyone's problems your own. You're gonna go insane."

"I'm sorry," I apologized. Why am I so bad at having fun? I can't recall ever having had fun after my mother got murdered. Wanting to keep my mother in my heart, I took on her role and took care of Sokka and Gran-Gran just the way she did. I've been scarred since then. I remember trying to run and get Dad, but not being able to. I just cried and cried and fell on my knees, until the assassin whacked me with his spiked whip on my back to make me be quiet. I didn't stop, and he must have whipped me three or four more times after that before Dad finally came and took care of him. I still have scars on my back from that day.

"Sugar Queen, you there?" I saw Toph wave her hand in front of my face.

"Yes, Toph, I was just…remembering something," I said quite distantly.

"Remembering what?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," I said slowly, before tears could start coming to my eyes.

"Here, have some food. You don't look too good," Sokka pushed a plate of teriyaki barbeque chicken and rice in front of me. "Or better yet, take it with you. It's MOVIE TIME! If this doesn't put a smile on your face, Katara, then I don't know what will."

"We're watching The Hangover," Toph grinned. "It's seriously the most hilarious movie I've ever seen." I just stared at her blankly. "Uh, hello, I'm not deaf, Sugar Queen! I get a pretty good feel of the movie by simply listening, if I may say so myself."

"Oh," I laughed. "My bad."

I don't get what they saw in that movie. I mean, those people in the movie are _adults_! Doug seems to be the only normal one. That brown bearded man is so weird. Why can't he be within two hundred feet of a school, or a Chuck-E-Cheese, whatever that is? And why is he getting made fun of for wearing a satchel? I wear one all the time. Why doesn't Stu just dump his girlfriend, who is clearly a heartless, controlling bitch? How the hell can Phil use "field trip money" for _gambling_? And finally, shouldn't they know better than to get wasted on the night before a big day like a wedding?

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Sokka and Toph were rolling on the floor laughing when Phil saw the tiger in the bathroom after Alan ran out screaming.

"Classic!"

"Wow, someone was wasted."

"Aw, what a cute tiger," Aang smiled at the screen, blinking his eyes.

"Really, now?" Toph glared at him.

The baby was cute, I have to say. But I can't believe they would make it do inappropriate things at the table, though! That is so degrading. I can only imagine what the poor child must feel. "Not at the table, Carlos," the guy with the beard, Alan, was making the poor baby _masturbate._

Sokka giggled.

Toph laughed and clapped her hands. "Nice!"

Aang's mouth just dropped at the sight of it. "Wow."

"I'm proud of you, Twinkle Toes," Toph slapped him on the back. "You're becoming a man."

The movie was starting to grow on me the moment they stole the police car and drove it like maniacs on the sidewalk. "Woman in the leopard dress," Phil called out through the megaphone, "you have an amazing rack."

"What's a rack?" Aang asked, in all seriousness.

Sokka pointed to my chest.

"Wait, so he's saying she has a nice chest?"

"What's below a woman's chest, Twinkle Toes?"

I laughed at Aang's reaction as he literally put a fist to his mouth. "Relax, Aang, it's just a movie. Enjoy it. I know I am."

About forty-five minutes or so further, a naked man (who looked like he could be from the Fire Nation, but lacked the golden eyes) jumped out of the trunk and started hitting one of them on the head.

Aang let out possibly the loudest scream. "AHHHHHHHHHH! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! I HAVE BEEN SCARRED FOR ETERNITY! Oh, I must consult with the monks on what to do about this madness." He began hyperventilating and ran out of the room.

By the time the movie had ended, I ended up really liking it. I just realized it took a little loosening up to enjoy the comedy of it. The tiger song was definitely the highlight of it all, as was the naked guy jumping out of their trunk. I'm not going to comment on the vulgarity of the pictures in the end.

"What do tigers dream of, when they take their little tiger snooze," Toph and Sokka sang, and I joined along with them, finally letting loose. "Do they dream of mauling zebras, or Halle Berry in her catwoman suit? Don't you worry your pretty stripped head we're gonna get you back to Tyson and your cozy tiger bed. And then we're gonna find our best friend Doug and then we're gonna give him a bestfriend hug. Doug, Doug, Oh, Doug Douggie Douggie Doug Doug. But if he's been murdered by crystal meth tweekers," we stopped for a dramatic pause. "Well then we're shit out of luck."

We laughed and hugged each other. For the first time in a very, very long time, I was having fun. I wasn't being a mother or big sister to Sokka, Aang, and Toph. I was just being plain old me, a fourteen-year-old waterbender with the three best friends that anyone could ever have.

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Just so you know, The Hangover is one of my absolute favorite comedies ever, and I just thought it'd be cool to throw it in there since it's the type of movie that Toph and Sokka is likely to watch, given her personality. And as much as I don't really like Aang, he was so much fun to write in this chapter! It was also fun thinking about how Katara would react to the movie given _her _personality as well. I hope you liked the Hangover reference I made at the end :]


	5. Sokka's First Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender!**

So this chapter was kinda hard to write. I'm not too good at writing funny stuff, only funny one-liners on occasion. Comments/suggestions are always welcome!

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Sokka's POV**

Today is Katara's and my first day at the Academy of the Arts at Ba Sing Se. I am _so excited!_ I've always wanted to be professionally trained in the ways of the warrior. Ever since Dad left for military training, he's inspired me to be a warrior myself (or want to be one, anyway. I can dream, can't I?).

"Sokka!" Gran-Gran opened my door with a smile on her face. "Time for school. Miss Bei Fong is picking you and Katara up in exactly twenty minutes!"

"Sweet!" My face lit up and I immediately sprang out of bed. "Is she bringing her limo again?" I can only imagine how stupid my face must've looked to Gran-Gran.

She laughed. "She didn't say. But she is picking you two up. You better hurry before Katara eats up all the eggs and sausage that I made."

"Oh no, she won't," I sprinted down the stairs so fast that I almost rammed into the dining table.

"Chill, Sokka," she said, eating her eggs and sausage neatly with her knife and fork. "There's plenty for you. And if you're really that hungry, there's more on the stove."

"Thanks, little sister," I said, taking my fork and picking the sausages off the stove one by one. Katara can't stand it when I do that, so all the more I do it. I know better, of course, but she is too much fun to mess with.

"Sokka, you're not even dressed yet," Katara scolded me. "Toph's coming any minute. We don't want to keep her waiting, and we definitely don't want to be late on the first day."

"We don't even know what our schedules are," I pointed out. "Relax. If it's anything like our old school, people are going to be switching classes right and left."

"Well I don't know about you, but I want to make a good first impression on my teachers," she huffed, and went up to fix her hair. I saw she left a good amount of food on her plate, so I gobbled that up before quickly rinsing the plate in the sink.

As much as I appreciate Katara trying to take care of me, I didn't take half as long to get ready as she does. All I had to do was brush my teeth, made sure my hair looked decent, and get dressed. She did a bunch of other stuff that I didn't bother asking her.

I pulled on a navy blue t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and my black slip-on sneakers, grabbed my backpack, plopped on the couch and turned on the TV to wait for Katara.

Yes, CSI was on! I can solve practically every single one of their cases before the end of each episode. I guess I have a knack for catching the little details that most people can't till later on.

The doorbell rang. I looked out the peephole to see Toph looking into the distance like she always does. I opened the door. "'Sup, Toph?"

"Hello, Snoozles," she greeted me. She had nicknames for all of us, as you can probably tell. "You guys ready?"

"I know I am, but I don't know about-" I was about to say "Katara" when she suddenly showed up beside me, pampered and ready to go.

"And you scold _me_ for not getting dressed yet," I huffed. "Look who's talking."

"You guys can bicker later," Toph said dismissively. "Aang's already waiting in the car. Move it!"

"Bye, Gran-Gran!" Katara and I called, as we climbed into the limo.

"Have a good first day!" she called. "Call me when you can!"

Man, I felt like the coolest person ever riding to school in a limo. A fucking _limo!_ Plus, there's gonna be lots of pretty ladies for the Sokka to feast his eyes on when he steps out of said limo.

"Last names?" the lady handing out schedules said.

"Mizu."

"Jinsei."

"Bei Fong."

"One at a time, please. We'll go with Miss Bei Fong, first."

After we got our schedules, Aang helped Toph find her classes and Katara took off right away. I stayed a little longer and took a look at mine. I raised my eyebrows at my classes: Chemistry, Literature, Sparring with Swords, Algebra and Trigonometry, and (to my absolute delight) FOODS AND NUTRITION! I cannot _wait_ for that last class!

"Hey, cutie," I heard a high-pitched voice from behind me. I turned to see a tall, milky-skinned girl with brown hair and big brown eyes dressed in a frilly white sleeveless top and short, dark denim shorts with sandals that matched her top, smiling at me.

"Whoa," I whispered under my breath.

"What was that?" she asked with that same smile.

"Oh, nothing," I shook my head quickly, trying not to blush. I ran a hand quickly through my hair so that it was out of my face. I held out my hand for her to shake. "I'm Sokka. Sokka Mizu."

She didn't take my hand. Instead, she jumped on my and threw her arms around my neck. "And I'm Ty Lee!" she squealed in a peppy voice. I predict her voice is going to annoy me after awhile, but she is rather charming. "Ty Lee Unagi, that is. Can I see your schedule?"

"Yeah," I laughed nervously, handing it to her. She grabbed it from me eagerly and scanned it.

She gasped. "We have chemistry together! And foods!"

"AWESOME!" I high-fived her. Then I took a look at her. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen," she said. "You?"

"You're my sister's age," I commented. "I should introduce you two; she's worried about meeting new people. I'm fifteen."

She opened her mouth a shocked-but-happy grin. "I love older boys!" She grabbed my arm quite boldly, considering she just met me. "And I'd love to meet your sister, too. Walk me to chemistry?"

"Of course," I smiled at her. The day can't get any better than this!

Oh, but it can! I now have a date with Ty Lee tomorrow night, I owned _everyone_ in my sparring class, and I found out that foods and nutrition really means cooking…AND EATING!

Now I have to wait in the library for everyone else to get off of school; Katara just texted me and told me she, Aang, and Toph have two more classes after lunch. This is supposed to be an arts school, but the closest I got to the arts was the sparring. Otherwise, it was just like our old school. How lame is _that_?

I sighed, took a seat at one of the many tables. The library was spectacular, I must say. It was circular, with a spiral staircase in the center and consisted of three stories, with books stacked neatly along every inch of the wall. Even so, there wasn't anybody in it, so I took an algebra and trigonometry book off the shelf, put my feet up on the table, propped the book open, and started working.

"The librarians are going to kick you out if they catch you seated like that," a stern voice said to me.

I looked around, slightly creeped out. "Who's there?" I dropped my books and stood up, ready to fight. No response. I tried something else. "Got any food?"

"Relax," a guy about my age came out of the shadows dressed in a white v-neck t-shirt and black jeans, headphones in his ears. "I'm not gonna rat you out or anything."

I opened and closed my mouth, deciding if I should trust him or not. As scary as he looks with that nasty scar over half the left part of his face, he seemed pretty harmless. I breathed deeply and held out my hand. "I'm Sokka."

"Zuko."

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Sorry I didn't update yesterday! I was busy with schoolwork, and I watched Inception! Great movie, by the way. And as a preview for the next chapter, I only need to say one word: ZUTARA! :D


	6. Unexpected Friend

**Same disclaimer as the previous 5 chapters! Note: This chapter took place at around the same time as the previous one, starting from after they got their schedules, except this time we find out what went on with Katara. **

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Katara's POV**

I walked to my first class, Literature, unsure of what to expect. Back in my old school, we read a lot of boring books, plays, and/or stories. I looked around to see if there were any fellow Waterbenders in my class. There were none. Joy.

Most of the seats were already filled, except for one next to an athletic-looking boy with black hair that hung over his face. He was wearing a white shirt that showed off his toned arms and stomach, and black jeans and grey sneakers. He was kind of, actually _very_, good-looking, but he held a serious demeanor. Even so, there was something familiar about him. I took a closer look at him, lightly brushing his hair away from his face. There it was: the same scar I saw on Zuko, whom I briefly met at the coffee and tea shop a few days ago. I reached out to touch it, before he roughly slammed my wrist onto the table. I was sure that was going to leave a bruise, but I made no reaction.

"I'm sorry," I whispered softly. "You're probably ashamed of it. Am I right?"

He didn't answer, but merely nodded, not looking at me.

"I see. It's probably a touchy subject for you, too."

He nodded again, more slowly this time.

"You don't like talking very much, do you?"

He shook his head.

"Okay," I nodded, accepting his lack of words. "Just so you know, though, I'm a pretty good listener, so if you ever want to talk…"

"I said _no_!" he snarled, turning to look at me for a bit, then resuming his position. I was right; it was Zuko. He was the same as he had been during our first encounter; harsh, private, stern, and…troubled.

"Okay, okay!" I put my hands in the air. "I'm sorry."

Zuko didn't say anything at first. He just shifted uneasily in his seat before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Does it hurt?"

"My wrist?" I waved it around, only to find that every way I moved it, I winced as a throbbing pain shot up my lower arm. "A bit, but I'll survive."

"It hurts more than that."

"How do _you_ know?" I raised my eyebrows.

He grunted as he took my right wrist and held it lightly mid-air. I hissed in pain. "Sure, it only hurts a bit." He lightly brought it down and placed it back on the table.

I looked down in defeat.

"You're hired, by the way," he suddenly answered after about a minute of silence.

A smile spread upon my face. "Really? Thank you! Thank you so, so much! You have no idea how much that meant to me." I got up and wrapped my arms around his neck warmly. He awkwardly returned my hug, patting me on the back.

"You start after school today for three hours," he said simply.

"But…I'll have homework."

"Not after the first day, you won't," he said harshly. "It would be unwise of you to not show up to your first day of work."

"You're right," I agreed.

"I can take you right after school. Will that be okay?"

"Um. Yeah, why not?"

"Good," his tone softened, but not by much. "I'll wait in the arena."

"But where's that?"

"You're a waterbender, correct?"

"Yes, but what…"

"Your sparring class will be out there later," he cut me off. "You'll know."

"Okay," I said, not too sure if I liked him or if I feared him now.

"Is everything alright?" He sounded concerned.

Oh, so he's being _nice_ now? What is he, bipolar or something? If not, he's got some major mood swings. "Are you seriously asking me that right now, after what you just did to my wrist?"

"I'm sorry," he was more apologetic. Then, that tone of his came back. "Just don't bring that up again, okay?"

"Alright."

"Sokka, I got hired at that tea shop, so don't worry about waiting for me, okay?" I called my brother to tell him the change of plans while I walked to the arena; we had previously agreed to take Toph's limo back home like she offered.

"It's about _time_!" he cried out. He paused awkwardly before saying, "Do you need a ride over there?"

"Oh no," I shook my head. "My…coworker's going to take me."

"And who is this _coworker_ of yours?" His voice grew suspicious. "I need to meet him…or her."

Great, here goes his protective-big-brother mode. "Zuko," I answered him plainly.

"Oh," he seemed relieved. "That's fine, then. He's okay."

"You know him?"

"Well, yeah, I met him in the library last period. He's a cool guy."

"Alright, cool, see you later!" I flipped my phone shut.

"You ready?" Zuko was leaning against one of the pillars of the arena, his car keys in hand.

"Yup, I took care of what I had to," I nodded, referring to Sokka. "I didn't know you and my brother met."

"Who's your…" he started. Then a lightbulb must've gone off in his head. "Sokka's your brother?"

"Yeah. You guys met in the library?"

"We did. Now let's go." He gestured with his arm for me to follow him, and I did, but not so closely. I stopped in awe at his black BMW 740Li.

"Oh…my…" It looked practically new.

"Please, don't mention it," he said, as he opened the door for me on the right, helping me in, even if it was only a sedan.

"How far away is your uncle's shop?" It would be good to know, so that I can decide if I'd be able to walk home.

"About ten minutes," he said brusquely, starting the engine. "Is there a problem?"

"No, I was just asking to see if I'd be able to walk home afterwards," I said honestly.

"I can take you home," he said, stealing a glance at me before concentrating on the road again.

"That won't be too out of the way for you?"

"Not at all. I don't want you walking home in the dark."

"Alright. Thanks."

He nodded.

"Zuko?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"What made you…change your mind?"

"Change my mind about what?"

"Well, when I sat next to you, you were being kind of mean and I thought you hated me or something, and then all of a sudden you were nice, and then you were mean again, and then…"

He laughed dryly. "Sorry if I came off that way. I don't hate you. Not at all."

"That's good to know."

"And sorry about your wrist. I'll bandage it for you when we get to the shop. Sound good?"

"That would be great," I smiled. "Thanks." I paused. "Wait a second, if you don't hate me, does that mean we're friends now?"

A small smile spread on his face. "What do _you_ think?"

"I'm not sure…you've messed with me quite a bit today."

His smile grew a bit wider, and he didn't answer for the rest of the way, until he pulled into the parking lot.

"So, is that a yes or no?" I was still confused.

He kept smiling, his golden eyes twinkling.

I bit my lip before smiling. "Well, I'd certainly like to be."

"There you go then." he said, before getting out and opening the door for me. He took my good hand in his before pulling me up and locking the car.

"Thanks for the ride, Zuko."

"Anytime, Katara."

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Oh, and I don't own the BMW either! Even if I'd love to have one :] So, I hope that was enough to keep you guys wanting more. I personally don't believe in that whole "love at first sight" crap, so that's why I decided to start them off the way I did; my goal is to make every relationship in this story as realistic as possible. It'll take a little longer for the next chapter to come up; since I didn't have homework this weekend, that just means I'm getting a lot this week so I'll update when I can. Thank you all for your feedback/constructive criticism! It really means a lot, and I am so happy you all are enjoying the story!


	7. Shopping or Homework?

**Sorry it took awhile to update! I've had an insane load of schoolwork. Anyway, hope you like this. Since I don't like Aang very much it was harder to write from his view, but I did my best. As usual, I don't own anything.**

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Aang's POV**

"Toph, where's Katara?" I asked her later that day. I hadn't seen Katara all day; I wanted to tell her how my day went.

"Working," she answered. "Why?" Her eyes narrowed in my direction.

"Just wondering," I assured her. "I haven't seen her all day."

"Neither have I, but Katara can take care of herself. She doesn't need _two_ boys watching over her all the time, you know."

"You're right," I finally said. Ever since Katara and I met, I always thought she was an angel or something, because she was the big sister I never had. I don't even remember my own parents. I was adopted by monks when I was just three years old. Toph, Katara, and Sokka were the closest I had to family.

"Besides, we're going to work on homework at my house after school today. You didn't forget, did you, Twinkle Toes?"

"No, of course not," I shook my head. "So how was your day?"

"Terrible," she huffed. "So many rules! Why do I have to wear _shoes_ to school? I can't see as well now. The only exception they made for me was for my bending class. And my math teacher is so stupid. She tried to force me to do the stuff everyone else was doing! You kind of need your eyes for that, but _she_ doesn't seem to think so!"

"You know, about the shoes thing, you could always wear sandals or something," I offered. "The soles of those are usually flatter than regular shoes and close enough to the ground for you to feel stuff."

"Why didn't I think of that? That's a great idea! Change of plans, Twinkles, we're going shopping."

"But Toph, what about our homework?"

"It can wait," she waved her hand dismissively. "Besides, all I need is one good pair of sandals that I can still see with. How hard can it be to find that?"

"Nope, can't see. Next!"

As much as I love Toph, I was getting pretty tired of getting sandals and bringing them back to where she was seated. Even with airbending to get me around faster, it was still exhausting. "Come on, Toph! Choose one already!" My infinite patience was wearing out.

"I have to be able to _see_ in them, Twinkle Toes! Get me the flattest, thinnest ones you can find."

"Remember they still have to be comfortable…"

"Yeah, yeah. Now _move it_!"

I groaned. I walked up to a sales associate and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me. My friend is looking for very flat sandals or a shoe, if that's possible. What's the flattest shoe you have?"

"Could you be a little more specific…?"

"Um," I wasn't really good with this type of thing. What would Katara say? Oh, yes. Now I feel like an idiot. "Do you have a shoe that makes you feel like you're practically barefoot?"

"Hm," he put an index finger to his lip in thought. "Oh, I know! Come with me."

He showed me these shiny black shoes that had no arch whatsoever. It had just enough of a base for Toph to be able to "see". "What size is she?"

"Uhh, could you get a three and a half and a four, just to be sure?"

"Absolutely."

"We'll be over there." I pointed to Toph.

"So where are they?" she asked impatiently.

"They're bringing it over here in a few minutes," I assured her. "I think you'll like them."

"I better, or you're going to take a nice earth-beating once we're outside," her eyebrows furrowed.

"Here you are," he finally came after an hour. "Sorry, I'm the only one here today."

"It's not a problem, Sir," I said with a smile.

"Dude, I'm only eighteen," he said.

"Oh," I blushed out of embarrassment. "My bad."

"What took you so long?" Toph yelled at the guy.

"Well, as you saw, I was taking care of others…"

"You're lying," she pointed at his face. "You were flirting with girls instead of helping us. We're your only customers here, you know."

"Whatever, little girl," he shook his head and left.

I slipped the shiny black shoes on her feet. She wiggled her feet. "They sure feel nice," she said. "Now, let's test my vision. Twinkle Toes, jump on the ground. And don't airbend."

I did exactly as she said, and suddenly, she erupted an earthen wall and shot it right at me. "Hey! I thought you said no bending!" I protested, as I scrambled up to my feet.

"I only said _you_ couldn't bend," she pointed out. "I said nothing about _me_ bending."

"So are you getting those, or not?"

"Yup!" She bounced on over to the counter, took off the shoes, and placed them in front of the cashier. "I'd like to buy these, please."

"Fifteen silver pieces, please."

She handed me her coin purse. "Get her fifteen silver pieces, please."

I carefully counted fifteen silver pieces and placed them in the palm of her hand. "There you go," Toph said. "Bye!"

"So can we do homework _now_?" I asked. I already had math to do, as well as a story to read.

"Fine, fine. You still coming over?"

"Sure! Can we invite Katara, too?"

"I _told_ you, she's working, Twinkle Toes!"

"Where at?"

"I dunno, ask Sokka. Why do you want to know?"

"I wanna visit her, that's why!" I took out my phone to call Sokka, but the battery bar at the top right corner flashed before automatically shutting off. "Aw, great."

"You know," Toph's pale green eyes twinkled. "I think we should explore Ba Sing Se. I can call the driver to pick us up anywhere, anytime."

"I thought you can't use a phone…"

"I have a specialized one that lets me call my mom, dad, and driver. I just remember which button does which."

"Awesome!" I said. "So…where do you want to go?"

"Hmm, let's go window shopping!"

"Um, my house has enough windows, though…"

"Looking at things in windows, stupid," she punched me in the arm and proceeded to grab me and drag me to the first store, which happened to be the Fiery Dragon. "What restaurant is this?"

"The Fiery Dragon," I said. "It's full, as always. Next."

Next was a clothing store. "Ew, it smells nasty in there. Next."

We stopped at a pet store, the gate to the zoo, the amusement park, and even the spa, to my discontent. "You should take me here sometime, Aang."

I perked up. It was rare she called me by my actual name. "Uh, okay, I guess. Shouldn't you ask Katara instead of me, though?"

"No, I want _you_," she insisted. Wow, I feel special now. "I'd rather go with someone my own age, thank you very much." She clutched her stomach. "Let's go to Iroh's. I'm hungry."

"Who's that?" I wondered.

"It's a coffee and tea shop," she said. "They sell food there, too. I'm in the mood for some green tea."

"Good idea." She knew where it was better than I did, so I let her lead the way. Even though Toph was a good three to four inches shorter than me, she never seemed to tire out. "Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Now?" I asked after five minutes.

"No."

Fifteen minutes later, "How about now?"

"NO!" she turned to yell at me. "Look, if you knew where the dang place was, you could've just _airbended_ us both over there!" She stopped to listen for a minute, before turning left. "Follow me, we're close."

She led me to a decent-sized shop with glass windows for walls. There were lots of tables and chairs, with cool paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. I peered through the window, observing the types of people that went there. They were all either Katara's or Sokka's ages or adults. Girls were sitting in a corner, giggling while looking at some guys who were sitting two tables down. "Interesting…"

"What is it? What do you see?"

"Girls are laughing and staring at guys…adults are on their laptops sipping coffee…Oh, that drink looks delicious, I wonder if it's organic…and…" I held a hand to my mouth and fell backwards at the last thing I noticed.

"Twinkle Toes! What happened?" Toph yanked me up. "What did you see?"

I breathed in and out heavily. I could not believe it. Of all the things…I had to see that. "Call your driver. Now." I finally breathed.

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Cliffhanger! What do you think he saw?


	8. The Visit from Hell

The beginning of this chapter happens about three hours before the end of the previous one, and it merges with the end somewhere near the middle, I believe. This is the longest chapter so far, and most of you were right. Aang did catch some Zutara action, but it's not necessarily what you think. Read and find out! **As usual, I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I did, Katara would have kissed Zuko after she revived him from Azula's lightning attack, and they would have been happily ever after :)**

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**Zuko's POV**

"So," I broke the awkward silence between me and Katara. "What color shirt do you want?"

"Um, you choose," she answered.

"That doesn't help," I grumbled. Why the hell was she going to make me choose between the only two choices she had (black or dark green)? Was it really that hard?

"Okay, um, how about the dark green one? It's a pretty color."

I wouldn't agree with the "pretty" part because I never use pretty to describe things, unless I'm telling a girl she looks pretty, which is rare. The color did suit her though. It brought out her big, clear blue eyes; looking at them was like looking through the clearest of ocean waters. "Okay," I tossed her a t-shirt that hopefully fit her. "Every day, you'll leave your things back here and report to the front. Until you memorize the recipes for every drink on the menu – except the tea, because my uncle makes that – you'll be working at the cash register. Easy enough?"

"Sure," she nodded and smiled. "Is someone going to teach me, though?"

Shit, I forgot about that. It was just like me to suggest things without thinking them all the way through. I had a bad feeling I was going to be the one teaching her, and as much as I consider her a friend now, I didn't really want to do it. I only consider her a friend because she did not judge me upon meeting me and is treating me like an equal, unlike many of the others at the Academy (Sokka's fine though). I still wasn't used to her frequently happy, upbeat attitude or her quick perception of people. I don't need another person telling me how I am; Uncle gives me enough of that. Wait, speaking of him…

"Can't you see I'm making the world's best tea right now?" Uncle Iroh shooed me away. "Besides, I know that you're more than capable of training her. Run along now."

I groaned. "Well, looks like I'm stuck teaching you."

Katara gave me a slightly hurt look.

"No, I don't mean it like that," I said quickly. "I just don't like working at the cash register very much."

"That's okay," she replied with her oh-so-happy attitude. "It's not for everyone." I caught her playing with her wrists after she said that.

"Here, let me wrap your wrist before we start," I grabbed a first aid kit that was sitting on one of the shelves. "Sorry, I almost forgot." I actually did forget, but she didn't need to know that.

"Thanks, but-"

"Don't mention it."

"I don't think it's too bad. If you get me a bowl of water, I can heal myself."

I grunted under my breath. I offer to do something nice for her, and what does she say? _I can heal myself_. That's likely. I watched her dip her hand in the water, and the water slowly started to gravitate around her hand, emitting a crystal-white glow. She took her hand out and moved her wrist around. At the first jerk, she grabbed her wrist and quietly hissed in pain. She obviously didn't want me to see it, but I didn't get why. I'd be more embarrassed being hurt in front of _her_, if you ask me. "I guess my healing doesn't do much for physical stuff."

I went next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "May I see?"

She looked up at me and nodded silently.

I gently lifted her wrist and held it in my left hand as I took out the bandage with another and wrapped it securely enough so that she could still move it to a certain extent without making it worse. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Let's go. You've got a lot to learn today in only three hours; a little less now with what just happened."

"Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it. Now let's go." I felt like I was being rude to her, but I wasn't exactly looking forward to teaching her my least favorite job.

"So I'm sure I don't need to tell you how to take customers' orders."

She shook her head, but she looked a little nervous. I wasn't used to girls being genuinely emotional in front of me, but I patted her shoulder to see if it made her feel any better. "You're probably going to do a better job than I did when Uncle tried to put me here in the front," I pointed out.

"Okay."

"Here comes a customer, show me what you can do."

Katara suddenly perked up. "Hello, Sir, what can I get for you today?"

"Just a regular decaf coffee and a ham croissant."

She nodded, and looked to me for assistance. "Press decaf, then coffee, then regular. The food is in the second tab, so touch the food tab and select ham croissant." She did it exactly right the first time, which surprised me because a lot of people usually had trouble with it at first.

"Is that all for you?" she asked the customer.

"Yes."

"So your total will be five gold pieces and two silvers, please."

"Two silvers make a gold," I hissed.

"Sorry, I meant six," she quickly covered up her mistake. Had she not learned how to count money before?

He gave her exact change, to my relief.

She did better as more customers came in. I just needed to assist her whenever she had to give them change, or if they paid by credit card, but other than that, she did pretty well.

Suddenly, a grey-eyed girl dressed in all black, with bangs that covered her entire forehead and almost covered her eyes walked in looking right at me, as though she were ready to kill me. This was just great.

"Hi," Katara greeted Mai. "What can I get for you today?"

"I don't really like this shop," she said dully. She glared at Katara. "You could do a lot better than that, Zuko."

"Excuse me…?" Katara was as shocked as I was, except I didn't say anything.

"Look, I don't know what the fuck you're doing here, but if you're just here to criticize other girls I happen to work with and make _wrong _assumptions, then leave now before I do something you will regret," I said calmly with a threatening undertone. My voice rose back to its normal tone. "So what would you like to order?"

"Nothing, I guess I'll just be on my way," she turned and left.

I thought she used those stiletto knives of hers for recreational purposes, but I guess not. I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of two specks of silver sticking out between her fingers. A split second later, she pelted it straight through the doorway. I grabbed one half of my twin dao swords that I hid under the counter for emergency security measures, thinking it was aimed at me. I was wrong, as it missed me by about two inches and was aimed right at Katara, who happened to have her back turned. "Watch out!" I grabbed Katara in a protective embrace, covering her head in particular, and deflected Mai's knives so that they hit the wall instead. I looked up to find that Mai had fled before I could do anything.

She and I were similar in some ways – our tempers in particular – but she would lash out with those stiletto knives of hers, and I would simply be an asshole to practically anyone who'd get on the wrong side of me at the time. We had a brief…moment…I guess you could say a few days before I got banished from the Fire Nation palace, but it ended right after I got banished, and I never saw her again…until now.

I quickly hid my sword back under the counter and caught sight of a small boy with a blue arrow on his head that was about twelve years old, along with another little girl that was probably his girlfriend or something, hyperventilating heavily. I tried to squint to get a better look at them, but they were gone as quickly as I spotted them.

My attention reverted back to Katara, who had buried her face in my chest by now. "I'm sorry," I whispered to her, rubbing and patting her back.

"What just happened?" she asked me through her tears. "Who was she?"

"That," I got her off my chest and pointed her chin up so that she was looking right at me, "was this girl who stalked me when I was younger. I'll deal with her. Got it?"

"She tried to _kill_ me!" she cried. All the customers were looking at us now.

"That's enough for today," I said, and whispered in her ear, "Go back to the supply closet while I get someone to cover this shift. I'll be back there in a bit." She complied and left.

"What happened in here?" Uncle poked his head up from his tea-brewing. I can't believe he didn't intervene when Mai came!

"Mai tried to kill Katara," I said bluntly.

"Oh, she's the one who wrote you a love letter and marriage proposal for Valentine's Day when you were eleven!" he laughed heartily.

"Uncle, now is not the time for this!" I yelled. "Besides, she's almost as crazy as Azula in her own way."

"I am sorry for the disturbance that just occurred," Uncle Iroh turned to the customers, ignoring my last statement. "I can assure you that she did not mean any harm, and we will be keeping a close eye on her. Thank you and you may resume your festivities."

"I'm going to take Katara home," I said abruptly and left as fast as I possibly could. Uncle had things under control, anyway.

I found Katara crying in the supply closet with her head buried in her knees. "I've never been so scared," she croaked, looking up.

I wasn't that great at comforting girls, but whenever I was scared before, my mom would give me a nice warm hug and I'd feel better in a few minutes. I wished she were still around to help me with things like these. I held out my arms to her, and she was in them in an instant. "You're going to be fine," I said softly. "Don't worry about her."

She nodded. I handed her a tissue box and she wiped away her tears and blew her nose softly before looking up at me. "Could you take me home please?"

"Absolutely."

She was emotionally unstable, so I didn't try talking to her. I'd pat her shoulder every now and then to comfort her but that only did so much. But she was able to give me directions to her condo and was an emotional wreck by the time I parallel parked next to the curb. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Look," I grabbed her shoulders forcefully and made sure she was looking at me. "You're safe now, okay? I know this was traumatizing for you, but you're going to be alright. You're a strong girl. You can do it." I gave her a reassuring hug. "And you don't have to talk about it to anyone if you don't want to. Understand?"

She nodded. "It's not _that_ I'm afraid of."

"Then what is it?" I asked. She hesitated as she was about to say something. "You can tell me."

"Sokka," she sighed. "He's going to flip out, you know."

"Your brother's cool," I said. "He really cares about you. If my sister were actually normal, I'd probably have the same reaction that you think he'll have if something happened to her. If it makes you feel any better, I'll take care of it. Come on."

I helped her out of the car before locking it. We walked up to the door of her house and I rang the doorbell.

I heard footsteps running down the stairs; it was probably Sokka.

"Hey man, you're back," he said brightly. He saw Katara and scowled at me. "What happened to my baby sister?"

"I think she should be the one to tell you," I said in all seriousness. "When she's ready, that is. Don't be pushy about it, okay? It really traumatized her."

"Did you do something?" he eyed me suspiciously.

"If I did, I'd be apologizing to you by now," I said.

"I believe you, but what happened?"

"Sokka, stop worrying, I'll tell you tomorrow, okay?" Katara spoke for the first time since before we got out of the car. She turned to me and gave me a hug. "Thanks, Zuko."

I returned it warmly, rubbing her back. "Just tell me tomorrow what other days work for you," I said. "See you, Sokka."

I texted Uncle that I was going straight to our house; I needed time to mull things over.

I can't believe it…Mai, of all people? Her deed was more something that Azula would do. I wonder if she got to her. I never hated Mai, but I didn't exactly like her either. She's had a huge crush on me since she was six, and what Uncle said earlier was only one of my myriad of bad memories of her. As much as she got terribly annoying, I still cared for her as a friend, because I knew deep down she was just a troubled person who lacked attention from her parents and needed a friend. And that "moment" I had with her before my banishment was me telling her that as much as I didn't like her the same way she liked me, I'd always care about her. I guess that wasn't enough.

I exhaled deeply and thought about how Katara and I had bonded today. I wasn't always the greatest at showing her I cared, but after what happened today, I promised myself to keep a protective watch over her.

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So...you guys probably didn't see that one coming, did you? :)


	9. Getting to Really Know You

I was on a roll this afternoon and was able to write another chapter. Enjoy :)** I don't own anything!**

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Katara's POV**

My near death yesterday left a mark on me. I couldn't help but fear that anyone around me could attack me now. I really should see a psychologist or something, but since Zuko told me he'd take care of her, I'll let him do it. I still haven't told Sokka or Gran-Gran, and I wasn't sure if I'd tell Aang or Toph. Toph would probably go out looking for her and a fight, and Aang would probably go with her. She was bound to find out something was up, but I planned to keep it from them as long as I could.

Sokka's expecting me to tell him because Zuko told him I would, so I'll probably end up telling him soon, when he wakes up, that is. As for Gran-Gran, she'll probably tell me to file a restraining order against Mai, but why was that necessary if Zuko was already going to deal with her? I wrapped my arms around myself in my room, trying to recall my feelings when he wrapped me in his arms, protecting me. I couldn't. It just wasn't the same.

"Gran-Gran, I'm going for a walk," I said, putting my phone in my pocket and taking a small shoulder bag with me.

"Okay, just be back for lunch in an hour," she called from the kitchen.

About a quarter-mile from our condo was a little park that nobody ever went to. It had a medium-sized pond and a wooden mahogany bridge over it. The grass that surrounded it was always green and there were no dead patches whatsoever. I discovered it when we moved to Ba Sing Se a year ago. It had a very serene feel to it; it was a great place to go to whenever I needed to get away from reality for a little bit. It may be slightly secluded, but I still felt safe nonetheless. I slowly made my way towards the bridge when I realized I was no longer alone.

"I see you discovered this place as well."

I gasped, slightly startled by the voice that broke the calming silence in the park. I turned to see Zuko standing a couple feet behind me, his face with its usual serious demeanor. He was dressed simply in gym shorts, a grey muscle shirt, and running shoes. I resisted the urge to swoon over his toned muscles.

I nodded. "I found it when I first moved here. It's my escape from reality."

"How are you feeling?"

I paused. "A little better. I still haven't told anyone, though."

"Why not?" His golden eyes pierced into my blue ones in a slightly intimidating manner.

"I…I…" I couldn't find the words. I bit my lip, fighting back tears.

"Katara," Zuko softened as he slowly gathered me into a warm hug. "You're not going to heal from this if you don't talk about it."

"Can I talk about it with _you_?"

"Of course, anytime," he said, releasing me, "but you need to tell Sokka and your grandma. They deserve to know."

"I know." I looked down at my feet. "Do you mind staying with me for awhile?"

"Not at all," he said. "I just finished my run."

"Thanks," I smiled a little.

"You're welcome."

We started walking slowly on the bridge and made our way to the other side, stopping to stare at the cute little yellow ducklings in the pond. "So…how long have you lived here?" I asked.

"Since I was thirteen."

"And you're…how old?"

"Sixteen."

"Really?" I was surprised. "You strike me as a lot older than that."

"I tend to have that effect on a lot of people."

"Why?"

"Do you really ask this many questions?" he asked me, slightly irritated.

"I want to get to know you better," I shrugged. "Is that a bad thing?"

It took awhile for him to answer. "For the longest time, I never liked opening up to people. They always had preconceived judgments about me because I was the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. Everyone wanted to be my friend, but for the wrong reasons. And just because I'm royalty – or at least, I _was_ – doesn't mean I enjoy it. It was sickening; I didn't ask for any of this! You don't choose which family you're born into! I fucking hate it! My mother left me when I was eight without saying good-bye. _She_ was the only one who _truly_ loved me, she and my uncle, Iroh. The Fire Lord, whom I am ashamed to call my father, kicked me out; _banished me_ for standing up for what I believed was right, and gave me this." He pointed to his scar on the left side of his face. "And Azula…she is a mini version of the Fire Lord; cold, heartless, selfish, power-hungry, and manipulative."

I took a step back. Zuko, Crown Prince of the _Fire Nation_? The same Fire Nation that my mother's assassin was from? "Zuko," I said quietly. "There's something you should know."

He didn't answer, but just looked at me, expecting an answer.

"My mother's killer came from the Fire Nation."

His good eye widened in shock, but he didn't say anything. He motioned for us to sit down, placed a hand on my shoulder and looked to the ground, shaking his head. "The Fire Lord and my ancestors before him were bigoted supremacists who believed the Fire Nation should be the only nation in existence. I admit I was raised to believe that as well, but my banishment changed everything. It gave me a new perspective on life. One of the most important things I've learned is that social class and/or nationality isn't what defines who we are. It's _what_ we do and _how_ we are that does. I know that you probably hate the Fire Nation after your mother's murder, but do not judge a nation as a whole based on one person's evil deed."

I swallowed. I did not expect that from the Crown Prince at all. "So…if you're the Crown Prince that means _you're_ going to be the next Fire Lord?"

"Yes." He said gravely.

"Do you want to?"

"If I don't take the throne, then Azula will. And she will possibly be even worse than the current Fire Lord. She disdains anyone who she deems less powerful than she is, and she will possibly order for the extermination of all benders that aren't firebenders and attempt world domination."

"But do you _want _it?"

He breathed in and out. "Yes. I want to rebuild the Fire Nation and its reputation and prove to the world that not everybody in the Fire Nation is bigoted and stuck-up, and I want to make the world a better place for everyone; not just the Fire Nation."

"So when do you take the throne?"

"Right now, since I got banished, it's Azula who's next in line. I'd most likely have to fight her in an Agni Kai."

"A what?"

"A deadly one-on-one fire duel that is fought to the death."

"And what about your dad?"

"Do _not_ call that man my father!" he roared at me. He recomposed himself and continued, "He will have to be overthrown. But it won't be easy. It would take an incredible amount of evidence and eyewitnesses. The Royal Judge is the only one who can officially declare him removed from office."

"I see."

My phone buzzed. "Hi, Gran-Gran."

"Katara, lunch is ready, hon."

"Alright, I'll be over in a few minutes." I hung up. "I'm really glad we had this talk, Zuko. It helped me understand you."

"I'm glad," he said. "Now I suppose it's my turn to get to know _you_."

"Sure," I said cheerfully. "I'll fill you in sometime. I have to go, though. I told my grandma I'd be home for lunch." Then I had an idea. "Actually, you should have lunch with us!"

"Are you sure that's okay with her?"

"It'll be fine, I promise. Sokka's cool with you, anyway."

"Oh yeah, kinda forgot about that," he chuckled a little. "But I'd love to, now that you mention it."

I smiled, happy to have found someone that I can relate to. Aang and Toph were great friends, don't get me wrong, but they're twelve and I'm fourteen. I can't always relate to them because they're still young. Zuko, on the other hand…he struck me as more mature than a lot of teenage boys, including my brother. Then again, he's been through more than twice as much as most teenage boys have so no comparison there. To top it off, _he saved my life_. I owed him that much.

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After how dark that last chapter was, I figured I'd make this one a little lighter. Do you guys see where the story is possibly going? Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the Academy...there will be plenty of Academy action coming up!


	10. What is this Feeling?

Alright, here's the next chapter! Sorry to keep you all waiting, I've been busy with school and soccer and whatnot. Plus I'm dangerously close to a D in one of my classes, so I have my work cut out for me there. And this is the shortest one so far, but it's still somewhat entertaining...I think. Hope you like it! Sorry if it's a little cliche. I got writers' block so I had trouble coming up with stuff. The next one will hopefully be a little more creative on my part. As usual, **I don't own anything**!

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**Toph's POV**

"Don't worry, guys, Katara should be coming soon," Katara's grandma assured Sokka and I.

Jeeze, Sugar Queen is _always_ late. It gets me mad sometimes. I went out to the sidewalk to see how far away she was. Like I said before, I can't see a thing outside with the carpet in their condo. I grumbled impatiently, making little rock mounds erupt from the ground with every tap I made.

After a good fifteen minutes, I finally felt her vibrations, but she wasn't alone. Whoever he or she was, they sure brought a lot of body heat. Or maybe it's just kinda hot out. Who knows? As they came closer, I concluded that she had brought a guy.

"'Sup, Sugar Queen?" I greeted her. "Brought a boyfriend, I see?"

I felt both of their heartbeats quicken by about four or five times faster than normal. Yup, she definitely likes him, and he likes her too. This is gonna be good! I can feel it _now_!

"I'm _not_ her boyfriend!"

"He's _not_ my boyfriend!"

I giggled to myself. "Yeah, yeah. We can argue later. We've been waiting, you know."

I walked up to the guy and punched him in the shoulder. "What the hell's _your_ problem?" he yelled at me.

"That's how I show affection," I shrugged. "I'm Toph Bei Fong, by the way."

"Zuko Ardiente," he answered. (A/N: "ardiente" is Spanish for "fiery". I didn't want to use "Agni" or "Sozin" or whatever, since I think that's also overused)

"How many girlfriends have you had?"

"None."

Hmm, he was telling the truth. Interesting. "Alright, do you have a crush on anyone?"

His heart started beating faster. "No."

"That's a lie."

"Excuse me?" I could feel him glaring at me and his body temperature going up big time.

"I'm a living lie detector, what can I say?" I smirked. "You like Katara, don't you?"

"I barely know her," he said, a little too quickly, I must say. It's like he was ready for it.

"That might be true," I nodded thoughtfully. "But you get nervous around her, like you are now."

"Alright, get the fuck away from me, you creep!"

"Ha! So you _do _like her!"

I continued my questioning when we sat at the dining table, until Katara pulled me aside.

"Toph, what are you doing? You're being _rude_ to our guest!"

"Um, hello? I'm a guest here too."

"Okay, whatever. But please don't harass him. Okay?"

In my head, that was just her begging me to do it even more. "Fine. I'll back off. I just wanted to get to know him. What's so wrong with that? Do you like him or something?"

Zuko was easy to crack, but Sugar Queen…not so much. "No," she said.

Now I felt Zuko's heart slow down, like he was scared. "As in, you don't like him at all? Or you don't have a crush on him?"

"Toph…"

"Answer me, Katara!" I rarely used her real name unless I was being completely serious.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked.

"I felt both your hearts beat insanely fast when you guys were on your way here. I know something's up. And you know you can't lie to me."

I felt Katara put a hand on my shoulder and lean in towards my ear. "He saved my life, Toph," she whispered. "I owe him."

"Nonsense," I waved my hand. "He saved you because he wanted to, without expecting anything in return. You're just saying that to cover up how you really feel."

"Look," I sensed she was getting mad, but she obviously can't handle the truth. "You weren't there, so don't you make any assumptions, okay?"

"Well it looks to me like _you_ can't handle the truth!" I jabbed a finger at her chest.

"Uh-oh, girl fight!" Snoozles came over, along with Zuko. "But really guys, break it up. What's going on, anyway?"

"Sugar Queen, here, is in denial."

"About what?"

I smiled to myself. This is going to be even greater if Sokka picks up on this as quickly as I did. "Ask Mr. Hot Man next to you."

"What did you just call me?" I felt Zuko stomp up to me and get in my face, similar to the way Sweetness did a little while ago.

"Am I missing something here?" Sokka was smart, sure, but he sure was dumb when it came to stuff like this.

"They like each other. Can't you tell? Sheesh, I'm starting to wonder who's really the blind one around here." Heh. Maybe I went a little too far with that, but they'll thank me later.

I smiled once more in triumph as Zuko's and Katara's hearts beat quicker than ever before as though they were one.

"Zuko, I'm so sorry about all this," she began to say.

"Just forget it," and I heard him walk out the door.

"Wait!" she called out. "Don't you want to take some food with you?"

"No."

Katara burst into tears on her couch. "Look what you did, Toph!" she sobbed. "Now he'll never talk to me again!"

"He likes you, Katara," I said matter-of-factly. "He was just embarrassed, that's all. Stop denying your feelings and say you like him already, will you?"

"Whoa, there," Snoozles interrupted. "My baby sister likes _Zuko_?"

"Pretty much."

"Guys, stop it! I don't like him that way, I'm just…very thankful for him at the moment."

"Yeah…we have a lot to discuss, little sister," I sensed Sokka getting very protective over Katara. I didn't know why; he's got nothing to worry about. Zuko's a good guy.

"Sokka, I'll tell you when I'm ready, alright?" She sounded like she was going to cry again. Sugar Queen is enough of a crybaby already, I really didn't want to hear her cry again.

"The longer you wait, the more worried I get," he was unusually serious. "So you better tell me now. But in the meantime, have some mac n' cheese. I helped make it, so you know it's good."

"I'm not hungry," she huffed. I heard her shift around. "Leave me alone. All of you! Now!"

I would've said, "Don't tell me what to do, you're not my mother", but she probably would have bended water at me, and I have no earth to defend myself.

I knew she had been lying about not liking Mr. Hot Man, but I didn't push it anymore since she's in a crappy mood, and that's all because I decided to have a little fun. I swear, those two are perfect for each other. They both suck at hiding their true feelings, they both get pissed easily, and both of them deny liking each other when their heartbeats are beating so fast that they could explode! I sure hope they figure it out for themselves, before I beat them to it…

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I will tell you now that Toph does not do anything about Zuko and Katara...this isn't like some of those stories where she plays matchmaker and comes up with some plot to get them together. I think that's way overused. You can expect her to endlessly bug the crap out of them, though :)

comments/thoughts? :)


	11. Food, Fire, and Determination

**Previous disclaimers apply here! And some of you wanted more Sokka/Ty Lee or action in the academy, so here you go. I've had a hard time writing lately because school is stressing me out, but I did my best. Hope you like it :)**

**Note: This takes place three months after the last chapter. I thought it was moving too slow before, so I made a few months pass.**

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Sokka's POV**

So, Ty Lee and I have been a thing for a little over three months now. She is seriously one of the greatest people ever. She laughs at all my lame jokes (yes, even my meat/food related ones) _and_ she appreciates my tan, unlike a lot of the Southern Water Tribe girls who liked their guys lighter-skinned. I swear, girls can be so goddamn _confusing_! They must be bipolar or something, because one day they love you, and the next day, they just flat out ignore you. What's with that? But Ty Lee's not like that. She adores me all day_, _everyday.

"Hey, babe," Ty Lee flounced over to me from across the room. "We're partners for our foods project, right?" She was referring to the project where we teach the class how to make a dish and bring some to share.

"Uh, you're not seriously asking me that, are you?"

She gasped. "You found someone else?" Her eyes and lips drooped into a sad puppy face.

"What, no!" I said. "I thought it'd be obvious to you that we were partners."

"Oh," she giggled. "Good! What are we making?"

"Whatever it is, it has to have meat," I told her. "I've had enough of Aang's vegetarian crap. Every time I eat meat in front of him, he gives me this long lecture about how animals are people too and we need to respect their lives."

"How mean of him," she scowled. Then, she lit up. "Oh, I know! You should sneak some steak or something into his food one time."

"Hmm, I like your thinking," I nodded. "Meat it is, then!"

"Don't forget the mashed potatoes!" she squealed in that peppy voice of hers.

"Of course not, but mashed potatoes aren't mashed potatoes without _gravy_!"

"Or vegetables on the side!"

"Vegetables? EW! I may love food, but vegetables are not my friend. Nuh-uh."

Our food argument went on for about five minutes, until it ended in the hallway with a soft, sweet kiss. A few moments later, Ty Lee straightened up and asked me, "So what's with your sister and Zuko?"

"How did you know about that?"

"I've known Zuko for years," she shrugged. "I used to be friends with his sister. I talk to him sometimes. But every time I mention your sister he either yells at me, walks away, or tries to firebend at me, in which case I just block his chi." She flipped her bangs out of her face and blinked at me with an oh-so-adorable toothless smile.

"Well, he's kinda the same with me too," I shrugged, "so I can't really answer that either. They still work together at Iroh's, but our friend Toph takes her there now, instead of Zuko driving her. It's weird. I've tried to get it out of him, but he just won't budge. They act like they don't know each other."

"That's so sad! They would make a cute couple!" she exclaimed. "Just think about it: fire and water. Yin and-"

"Stop that right now!" I heard an authoritative voice a few feet behind me, as well as a small fireball that missed Ty Lee by inches.

I pulled Ty Lee behind me. "Don't worry, Ty Lee, I can take him, whoever he is."

"I think you mean 'we'," her eyes sparkled as she planted a kiss on my lips and took a fighting stance next to me. I'm useless without a sword, but hey, I can try, can't I?

We looked around in confusion. He was nowhere to be found.

"I'm up here." We looked up to see Zuko glaring at us from the top of the lockers along the wall. He swiftly jumped off and stopped in front of us, glaring.

"Zuko," Ty Lee was suddenly frightened. "I didn't mean to-"

"Do me a favor and stay out of my private life from now on, will you?" he yelled. "And both of you, you are not to mention Ka-, well, you know who I'm talking about! Are we clear?" Geez, he sounded like an adult disciplining his children.

"Look, man," I stood my ground. "We know you're upset about…the situation…but you can't avoid it forever. Katara.."

He held out a flame to my face. "What did I _just_ say?"

"I don't give a shit what you just said!" I yelled back at him. "Katara is my baby sister, and I have every right to call her by her name. Plus, she misses you, if you haven't noticed that already. She's gone back to being all motherly and annoying with me ever since you guys stopped talking and doing your thing."

He continued to glare at me for what seemed like forever, but he slowly extinguished it.

"Would it help if I told you I was sorry?" Ty Lee asked.

I took Ty Lee's hand in mine. "The choice is yours, Zuko, but I'm here if you need me," I said.

"Me too!" she added.

"I get your point, now leave me _alone_!" And at that, he walked away.

"Do you think he'll do anything about it?" she whispered rather loudly.

"Not now," I shushed her. Man, as much as I love her, she isn't really the sharpest tool in the box.

I was working until closing that night at the diner I work at, the Dine-and-Dash Burger Grill. It wasn't a very busy night because it was a school night, but that meant more free time for me. "Could you cook me two bacon double cheeseburgers and some fries to go with that?" I requested the cooks. Yes, I can eat that much. I've eaten three before, now that you mention it. I've been here for nearly four hours without any food; I think I deserve something!

I finished the first in less than five minutes. I was gobbling my way through the second one when a customer walked in. "Crap," I thought, and put my burger down. I ran to the cash register with food still in my mouth.

"Wha' ca' I get fo' you?"

The girl laughed a little. "Just a cheeseburger please. And a cup for water."

I held up a finger to tell her to wait a moment, and punched in her order. When I finally swallowed the remains of the juicy, mouthwatering burger, I said, "Name?"

"Suki," she smiled, and took a seat across my cheeseburger.

"You better not touch that," I warned her. "I'll make yours like mine, if you want, but do not touch it!"

"Relax, I wasn't going to," she put her hand up. "Can I join you?"

"Uh…" Oh, crap. She better not be flirting with me. Ty Lee's going to kill me…actually, block my chi forever is more like it. "Why not a clean one that doesn't have food on it?" Girls like it clean, don't they?

"Well, there aren't many people in here, and I don't really want to sit alone," she pointed out.

I shrugged. "Go for it."

I rushed back to the booth, gobbled the remains of the second, and let out a nice, long burp. "Ahh," I sighed.

She just laughed. "You are too cute. I never caught your name."

"Sokka."

"Nice name," she nodded. "Are you from around here?"

"Yeah, I've lived here a couple years."

"I just moved in a week ago," she said. "It's so busy here compared to where I used to live. It was so relaxing and serene. The whole island was like a large forest, with a beautiful white sand beach on the eastern side."

"That does sound nice," I said thoughtfully, "but I'm more of a cold weather kind of person."

"I see," Suki smiled. "So, what are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Work again, why?"

"I was going to ask if you wanted to go out with me tomorrow. You seem like a cool guy."

Crap. I saw this coming. She seems nice, and I hate rejecting people in general, but my loyalties are ultimately with Ty Lee. "Look, you seem pretty cool yourself," I said. "But I have a girlfriend, so I'm not exactly available. Sorry. But," I pulled out a coupon book from my pocket, "you can have this. Get different discounts on food whenever you come here."

Suki took it looked down at her food. "Thanks," she nodded, and moved to a different table.

"I'm really sorry," I called after her. "We could still be friends, you know. You cool with that?"

She turned to look me in the eye. "I guess that'd be fine," she said stiff. Sorry, but I have the best girlfriend ever, and I was not about to let her take that away.

"Hey, look, at least I'm being nice to you about it," I pointed out. "I gave you a free coupon book, and I am _positive_ there's one for a free burger in there."

Her mood changed and she gave me a genuine smile, different from the flirty one she gave me earlier. I guess she liked burgers as much as I did. "That's nice of you. Can I have a to-go box?"

I handed her one. "Have a good night."

"You too, Sokka," she nodded, and left.

"Not cheating on Ty Lee, are you?" I whirled around to see Zuko standing there, smirking and slouching against the wall. When did _he _get here? And how did I miss him?

"Dude, I just _rejected_ that girl…"

"Kidding," he held up his hand, trying not to laugh. "So," he plopped himself across from me where Suki was sitting. "Two things: one, I can give you a ride home when your shift is over."

"That'd be awesome! Now I don't need to call Chan at this time."

"Who's Chan?" he raised his eyebrow curiously.

"Toph's driver."

"Oh. Well, two, I considered what you told me earlier. I'd like to fix things with your sister. Will you help me?"

"Of course, man! I've been waiting for you to ask!"

"Thanks, Sokka. Thanks for doing this."

"Any_time_, man!" I stood up and slapped his back. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well," he began, "I was thinking…"

* * *

So...Zuko wants to fix things with Katara...after three long months. What do you think his first move will be? I can tell you now he isn't going to kiss her, though. Their relationship (along with everyone else's) will be as close to real-life as I can possibly make it, and since Zuko isn't too upfront with his emotions (with the exception of when he opened up to her by the duckling pond), don't expect him to kiss her anytime soon! Sorry to all of you who may be expecting that, but be patient! They _will_ kiss, I just won't tell you when ;)


	12. Zuko's Loneliness is Killing Him

Hey, guys! I'm so sorry it took so long to update. Everything has been really insane lately, and my parents are cracking down on me since my grades aren't what they should be. I'll try to update more often, but I finally got around to writing the next chapter. You might see hints a couple of cliches that have been used in other stories, but there are twists to it, I promise! **As usual, I don't own anything!**

* * *

Zuko's POV

"Katara…hey. Remember that day you invited me over for lunch? I'm sorry for walking out on you like that. Your friend kind of embarrassed me. Can we be friends again?"

"No, no, no, no, _no_!" Sokka stood up shaking his head, arms crossed. "My sister is definitely _not_ gonna buy that."

"Okay, so what do you propose then, genius?" I retorted.

"You're going to have to prove yourself to her and not just apologize," he said matter-of-factly. "She's got some issues like that. Ever since this other asshole she used to like played with her for a good five months, she's had some serious trust issues. I personally told her to dump the guy, but she wouldn't believe me."

"Well who says I even like her like that? I only want things to be less awkward during lit class."

Sokka's eyes narrowed at me, but not in a scrutinizing manner. "Are you _sure_ about that?"

"Positive, dude," I put my hands up in surrender.

"Uh-huh," he nodded. I don't think he believed me. "Okay. So, back to making up with Katara. You gotta confront her. She won't buy a text message apology and she won't buy a phone call either. It has to be _legit_. So, let's practice. I'll be Katara."

"Why _you_?" The last thing I wanted to see was her brother making a fool of himself.

"Because I'm her brother, dumbass," he shook his head. "Sheesh, you're so clueless sometimes. Okay, so pretend that you see her doing stuff in her locker during brunch or lunch or something. I'll demonstrate." He took down his hair and started running his fingers through his hair, looking into an imaginary mirror.

"Uh, Sokka?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Who's Sokka? I'm _Katara_, you silly person," Holy shit, that was a creepily accurate portrayal of her voice.

I grunted under my breath, but if this is going to help me face her, I might as well play along. "Okay, _Katara_, I really don't know what happened with us. I mean, I know we were only friends, but it's really awkward during lit class, you know, since you decided to sit yourself next to me. Those seats are permanent for the rest of the semester, by the way. But um, yeah, can we stop being so awkward? It's just weird."

I cannot even begin to describe what happens next. And no, I'm not gay. Can you see where this is going? I thought so.

"Oh, Zuko," Sokka batted his eyelashes. What the fuck, Katara does not do that! "You should've told me sooner. Because the truth is, I feel that way too. I really want us to be close again." By this time, his hand was on my lower back with his other hand stroking the scarred side of my face. "I _love _you, Zuko…"

"Get the fuck _off_ me!" I said and threw a fireball punch at him, sending him crashing against the wall of my bedroom.

"Duuuude," Sokka stirred. "What was that for?" Suddenly he gave me this weird, discomforting goofy smile. "You're preeeetty."

"Sorry," I quickly pulled him up, "it was getting a little too weird for me. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's all good," he rubbed his head.

"Were you serious though, in the role play or whatever?"

"Yeah, everything I said was an over-dramatization of how Katara feels about you."

"Wait a second, so she likes me?"

"What's it to you? I thought you didn't like her like that?" Sokka folded his arms across his chest.

"Maybe I lied," I admitted. "I wanted to see if she liked me first. Plus, I wasn't sure how you'd feel about that, the idea of me dating your sister and all."

"Usually, I'd be kind of against the idea of her dating someone older, but you're definitely good for her. If you think about it, you guys kind of balance each other out. At least, that's the way I see it."

"Okay," I sighed in relief. "So, what should I do now?"

"You tell me, captain," Sokka said. "I only said I'd help you do your thing. I never said I'd do it _for _you."

Wow, he remembers everything. "Um, actually I have an idea." That idea involved: Britney Spears, kidnapping, and a dinner on the beach. Now that I have all three phases planned out, it's a matter of putting it all into action. Here it goes…

Phase 1: Britney Spears

Sokka and I built a motion-sensitive music player that would play the chorus of "Hit Me Baby One More Time" right when she opened it.

Why Britney Spears, you might ask? I figured she liked Britney Spears when she was younger as much as Azula did (way before she went crazy).

I got Sokka to help me get her to open her locker. Let's hope he's clever enough for her to believe him. "Excuse me, miss," her back was to me when I saw him walk up to her dressed as a pest exterminator, his face completely covered. He's definitely a theatrical one. Let's hope he doesn't blow his cover.

"Is something the matter, sir?" She sounded scared.

"I'm afraid so, miss," he said. "There was a rat infestation at the school last night in this area. I'm going have to inspect your locker to ensure that your locker was uninfected."

"Have you done this to all the other lockers?"

"I'm starting with yours." What are you thinking, Sokka? She's now going to expect you to do all forty of the lockers down the entire hallway! Oh well, at least she'll open her locker.

"Um, okay, if you insist," she said, and began walking away.

"I'm afraid you'll have to stay here," I heard Sokka say.

"But what if there are rats in there, like you said?"

"That's what I'm here for."

"Well, what are you going to use to exterminate them?"

Ugh, this is not going well…

"Let me tell you one thing: you can overcome anything by being one with it. As for me, I am one with the rat; therefore, I know how to defeat it. Come and watch." He took out a pick-axe and ripped her combination lock off the locker. "Now, let's see what we have here…"

_My loneliness is killin' me (and I)_

_I must confess I still believe (still believe)_

_When I'm not with you I lose my mind._

_Give me a siiiiiign, hit me baby one more time!_

I also left a note attached to it that read: "Go to the one place where you get away from everything and give me a sign." If she doesn't figure this out, words cannot describe how this will greatly upset me.

"Well, no rats in here," Sokka shook his head, "but that's definitely a sign of something else. I'd do it if I were you." Sokka immediately turned and pretended to "inspect" the rest of the lockers before rushing back into the janitor's closet, where I watched him through a crack in the door. "Okay, I think she's going to do it. If she doesn't show any sign of going there, I'll see to it that she does." He slipped me their mother's necklace that she always wore. "Do whatever you have to, but just make sure she gets it back. It can't be replaced."

I wasn't planning on stealing it, if that's what he was thinking…

Phase 2: Kidnapping

I slipped into an all-black outfit, leaving no part of my skin uncovered and slipped the necklace securely into one of the pant pockets. Then, I took out a blue and white mask that my mother had given me at a festival when I was younger and tied it around my face. It formed a determined growl and looked fierce, yet intricate. Now let's hope I don't scare her. In my bag I packed a blindfold and some rope, and I was on my way.

I hid under the bridge of the little park where I had first opened up to her, hoping against hope that she'd show up. Although, I remembered what Sokka had told me. _If she doesn't show any sign of going there, I'll see to it that she does._ I hope neither of them let me down.

What seemed like hours passed, and right as I was about to leave, I saw her walking. From the moonlight, it seemed like she had been crying. Wow, Sokka was not kidding when he said he'd see to it that she'd come. I have a feeling that what I'm about to do isn't going to make her feel any better, but it will be worth it for the third phase.

I held my breath and tiptoed out from under the bridge, making sure my shadow wouldn't be seen. _I'm sorry, Katara,_ I mentally apologized to her. _This will be worth it, I promise. _I gave her a kick hard enough to make her fall and tied the blindfold firmly enough around her head and tied her hands behind her back.

"This was a _trick_?" she screeched. "Get your filthy hands off me _now_! I swear, when I break free…"

Phase 3: Dinner on the Beach

I silently picked her up with one swift movement and guided her back across the bridge. Then, I led her along a path that I hoped she didn't recognize, and sat her on the blanket on the beach. I silently opened the basket of food that I brought for her, and cut a slice of steak that Sokka and Ty Lee cooked and placed it to her lips. She wouldn't open her mouth. "Go on," I said, disguising my voice. "It's not poisoned."

She reluctantly did so, but I could tell she liked it by the way she was chewing. When she was done, I slipped the necklace around her neck and tied it securely. "I was wondering where that went."

"If I untie you, will you promise to stay?" I asked, still in my disguised voice.

"That depends," she said softly, and I undid her blindfold first. She blinked a few times before seeing me and falling backwards. I stifled my laughter and held out my hand for her to take. She did so, and I pulled her back up to sitting position. "Who are you?"

I slowly undid my mask, pulled down the black hood, and let my hair fall without saying a word.

"Zuko?" She looked confused.

"Katara," I cut her off before she could say anything else. "Look, I'm not sure what happened with us 3 months ago, but to be honest, you made my life a whole lot more interesting when you started working at my uncle's shop with me. I feel really bad for just leaving after you invited me over for lunch that one day. Can we start over, or something?"

She pursed her lips together and looked out into the ocean before looking back at me. "Why did you leave, that one day?"

"Um," I actually hadn't thought about why I had left, but I suppose it'd be because I got scared after the little girlfriend of the blue-arrowed boy exposed my feelings. I'm not sure how she does it, but she can definitely read me almost as well as Uncle does. "I guess…I got scared. You know? Your friend was telling the truth when she said I liked you at the time, and I wasn't sure how you felt about that, so I ran away before you could tell me you didn't like me like that or something. My feelings haven't changed, by the way."

It took her awhile to soak it in, as she cut her steak into little pieces, mixed it with some mashed potatoes, and daintily placed it in her mouth. When she finished swallowing, she said, "Toph was right about me too. I've tried to deny it because I knew Sokka wouldn't approve of me dating somebody older, and I was also afraid you wouldn't like me."

"Sokka's okay with it, you know," I told her, "because he gave me permission to do all this for you."

"WHAT?" she practically yelled in my face. "So Sokka allowed you to tie me up like that?"

"Well, in theory, yes he did know about it," I admitted. "I also thought you'd figure it all out by the time you got to the park, since I'm the only other person besides you that goes there."

"Oh," she said. "Well you didn't have to scare me like that. Why didn't you just tell me instead of going through all this trouble?"

"It was no problem," I assured her. "I did all this to show you that I really am sincere."

She smiled at me with watery eyes. "Thanks, Zuko." She scooted closer to me and leaned on my shoulder. I patted her head lightly and put an arm around her. Suddenly, she pulled away. "But promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"Don't _ever_ kidnap me like that again! It scared me out of my mind!"

"Deal," I agreed. Now, only time will tell if things will go back to the way they were. But for now, I think I'll just enjoy this night. I made a mental note to thank Sokka later.

* * *

What did you guys think? I got the whole idea of Zuko surprising her like that from the way a friend and I kidnapped one of our other friends on her birthday. And as for the Britney Spears part, I saw bits of the most recent Glee episode, and let's just say memories came back and I thought that song was perfect for the way he felt. **To answer a question that I'm sure is going to come up, yes, Katara and Zuko are now officially dating :) **I'm not sure what's going to happen in the next chapter, but I know there's going to be more school drama for sure, so keep a look out for that!


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